The Abode of Kings
Forged out of an empty wilderness by Myanmar’s former ruling military junta a decade ago and fashioned into the country’s new capital, Naypyitaw — the “abode of kings” — is a city of contrasts.
Traffic policemen stand on an empty 20-lane road leading to the country’s parliament, alongside luxury hotels and lavish temples.
A man sleeps inside a train parked at the train station.
A man lies down on the floor in a train station.
A man crosses an empty, 20-lane road leading to the country's parliament building.
Construction workers carry buckets across the road.
Construction workers carry bricks on their heads near parliament.
A man jokes with female workers.
A girl wearing a hat and tanaka paste on her face gets out of a fountain.
Believers walk on the stairs leading to Uppatasanti Pagoda, a replica of the famous Shwedagon Pagoda of Yangon.
People work on the golden dome of Uppatasanti Pagoda.
Believers pour water over a Buddha sculpture under the golden dome.
